Optical combiner device

[0025]FIGS. 1-4 show an optical combiner 10 that illustrates a first embodiment of the present invention. The combiner 10 in this embodiment includes four spaced apart input collimating lenses 21,22, 23,24 and output focusing lens 30. Lasers 11,12 are located at the focal points of the input lenses and the light is collimated, reflected off a prism 40 and focused by the focusing lens 30 onto a spot at which a single optical fiber (not shown) is stopped by fiber stop or seat 60 formed in ferrule 80. Pins 71,72,73,74 are located to aid in affixing the combiner device 10 to the support (not shown) for the lasers. The integrated ferrule 80 enables one to place an output fiber optic cable into the pre-aligned connector.

[0026] This combiner device has the ability to combine individual light signals into an optical path 90 that can be directed towards an optical fiber (not shown for clarity). Matching the NA of the larger focusing lens 30 and the NA of the fiber (not shown) inserted into ferrule 80, seated at the fiber stop 60, as well as the spot size 50 of the focused beam being made smaller then the fiber core couples a maximum amount of the collimated light into the fiber. Similarly, by arranging four (in this embodiment) collimating lenses 21,22,23,24 of a size small enough to fit inside the diameter of the focusing lens 30, and matching their NA to the light sources, the maximum amount of light will couple into the collimated output beam 95.

[0027] The first embodiment of the invention is a combiner 10 comprised of a single piece plastic molded coupling module 16 consisting of four collimating lenses 21-24 and one lens 30 for focusing several geometrically placed collimated beams onto the output fiber (not shown) and a prism 40 for reflecting the plurality of collimated beams for maximum coupling efficiency into the output fiber.

[0028] The plastic molded coupling module 16 is formed by integrating an aspherical on-axis, offset collimating lens array 21-24, a redirectional prism 40, a focusing lens 30, a fiber optic ferrule 80, and mechanical pins 71-74 for alignment of the optical part 16 to an array of four lasers, all within a single part 16.

[0029] The invention is usable with n lasers and n collimating lenses. The embodiment shown in FIGS. 1-4 illustrates the case of n=4. Furthermore, FIGS. 1-4 utilize a two-dimensional, two by two array of input lasers as well as collimating lenses.

[0030]FIGS. 5 and 6 show a second embodiment of the invention 110 which does not include a prism for translating the optical beams from one axis to another. This particular embodiment is beneficial for mating to a standard “TO” style laser chip package. Similar to the embodiment described in FIGS. 1-4, the embodiment shown here utilizes a two-dimensional array of four lenses 121,122,123,124 for collimating the input light signals from a two-dimensional, two by two, array of lasers (not shown), a single focusing lens 130, and a fiber connector 180 that allows one to place a fiber optic cable into the pre-aligned connector.

[0031]FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 illustrate a third embodiment of the invention. The combiner is shown generally as 210 and includes a circular array of four lasers 211,212,213 and 214. Each laser 211-214 has a different output wavelength. Each laser is mounted to a support 215. The lasers 211-214 are co-planar and the output beam of each of the lasers 211-214 is directed towards the center of the array. At the center of the array is a coupling optic 216 formed of a single monolithic optical block. Four collimating lenses (only two of which 221 and 222 are visible) are formed in the four side walls 231,232,233 and 234, respectively, of the module or coupling block 216. The focusing lens 250 is formed on the top surface of the module 216. The surface of focusing lens 250 is smooth and includes four pie-shaped radial quadrants 251-254. Each of the quadrants 251-254 transmits a separate output beam of the lasers 211-214, respectively.

[0032] As shown best in FIG. 8, the bottom surface 240 of module 216 is recessed with four separate inclined surfaces that form four separate prisms to reflect collimated light to the output lens 250. In the view shown in FIG. 8, collimating lenses 222 and 224 receive the output beams from lasers 212 and 214, respectively. Prisms 242 and 244 reflect the output beams from collimating lenses 222 and 224 and direct those beams through separate pie-shaped quadrants 252 and 254 of focusing lens 250.

[0033] It is significant to note that, as shown in FIG. 8, the output beams of lasers 212 and 214 are refracted through output lens 250 through equal angles. This is significant because the beam passing through quadrant 252 will not be reflected by the stopped single fiber optic back into laser 212. Rather, the laser output 212 passing through quadrant 252 will tend to be reflected from the stopped fiber optic back towards quadrant 254. Since the output of laser 212 is of a different wavelength than the output of laser 214, that reflection that passes back through quadrant 254 from laser 212 will not adversely affect the performance of laser 214, since it operates at a different wavelength.

[0034]FIG. 9 shows a single slice of optic 216 to more clearly illustrate the interaction with the module 216 with the circular array of lasers 211-214.